The Price of a Human Life
by Apologies.Ain't.My.Thing
Summary: Historical AU Fic. Takes place from 1941 onward, during Stalin's Purges. One night seventeen year old Temari and her brothers are hauled out of their house and deported based on acts of treason. She hopes for her family, her future and for love. But will she find it and will hope keep her alive? Based on true sources and stories.
1. Taken

AN: This is a fan fiction, but the plot is based on a true story. Many are unaware about the horrors that the Soviet Union citizens had to go through while being ruled by the iron fist. Even after the Second World War, many innocents lost their lives. This fanfic will still have the same characters that we all love, but it will be different…

It is a T rated story because of the angst, hurt, comfort and story line Honestly, it's all history and hope. In this story, the Sand Sibling's father is still alive. Also, Gaara is quite OOC. I'm pretty apprehensive about posting this fic… I'm not sure if people will like it. I actually started writing this so I could practice writing before my exams. -.-"

Please review :)

_**FYI: The Soviet Union, also known as USSR, was a major part of Eastern Europe that was ruled by Stalin, Khruschev, Brezhnev, etc. They were Communist countries. Communism is basically the opposite of capitalism, democracy. Examples of countries that were part of the Soviet Union (Many by force after WW 2) are Russia, Lithuania, Estonia, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania. After Stalin died, it was revealed that he ordered his Secret Police, NKVD, to send many literates with opposing ideas against the government, to harsh labour camps. Many innocents perished in what is today known as The Purges. In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed after Gorbachev came to power. **_

_**Also, during the Nazi regime in Germany, Hitler ordered for Jews and many other racial and social groups eg. homosexuals, to be sent to concentration camps. Many Jews were rounded up and sent to ghettos, the biggest one being in Warsaw. In the final years of WW 2, these camps became death camps. The most commonly known one being Auschwitz. **_

_**I hope that clears up a few of the doubts you guys had. (especially you: i3jackfrost) **_

**Edit: I'm going to clearly state my sources so that I don't receive unnecessary flames.**

**1) Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys**

**2) GCSE Modern World History Second Edition by Ben Walsh**

**3) Germany 1918-1945: A study in depth by Lacey Shephard**

**4) Psychology Magazines**

**5) Perception: US TV Show**

**6) Debates in my history class with my history classmates and teacher, Conversations with anki-openminded and a certain opinionated individual in my class who refuses to let his name be published.**

**I will update this list if I refer to anything else.**

**This story will be edited after my finals are over. Thanks :)**

**_What is the price of a human life?_**

**Arc 1: Criminals and Prostitutes**

**Chapter 1**

Lithuania was illegally annexed into the Soviet Union on 3rd August, 1940. We were authoritatively under Stalin's iron fist rule and couldn't escape. We had heard rumors, but no one believed them. My father had come home one day and told us that Jews in Warsaw were sending out telegrams that the Nazis were mass murdering them. My father believed them. But many others didn't. Besides, he was a 'government' man; if the government refused to do anything then what could he have done? For his safety and ours, we had to keep quiet. That's how many people lived. We wanted to help but couldn't out of fear.

Thinking back, it was simply eminent. It was so blatantly obvious - family photos, or at least the pretense of joy captured by the camera in the fleeting moment, were all burned in the fireplace. Father would not return from work. Gaara and Kankurou were asking questions. I asked questions, too, but perhaps I refused to acknowledge the signs. Only later did I realize that Father was arranging for our escape. We did not escape.

We were taken.

June 16th 1941. Approximately one year after Lithuania was annexed.

It was nighttime and I was sitting at my desk. The evening breeze floated through the open window over my desk, waltzing a curtain from side to side. It was incredibly calm and serene. No one could foresee what was going to happen in a few moments. I opened my new case of pens and pencils, a gift from Gaara and Kankurou on my seventeenth birthday. It was these small tokens of love that I cherished from my brothers. We were not like other siblings; we didn't tell one another everything, but we stood our ground against our father. He wasn't a bad man; there were many others who were much worse. At least he didn't return home drunk and, he did pay for our schooling. Many girls did not have the chance to go to school in this country. I was one of the luckier ones. Luck was a fickle thing.

It wasn't a knock. It was unrelenting banging that shocked me out of my daydreams. Fists pounded on the front door. No one dared move in my house, the silence was deafening. I left my desk and peered out into the hallway. Kankurou stood against the wall facing our framed map of Lithuania, his eyes tightly closed and anxiety written all over his face. I had never seen him like that.

Gaara came out from his room, "Kankurou, Temari, aren't you going to open it?"

I attempted a forced smile. I was the eldest in the house right now, Father had not returned for the past three days. "Yes Gaara. I will open the door. Don't worry, I won't let anyone break it down."

The voices on the other side of the door became louder.

"NKVD!" whispered Gaara, color draining from his face. "Naruto said they arrest people."

"No way. No way," Kankurou replied reassuringly, or at least attempted to. Even Gaara could tell that he was lying to himself. We knew that our father was against the government.

I opened the front door. The 3 policemen pushed me aside and entered our house.

"Two boys, one girl of the Sabaku name? Emigrated from Japan?" one of them asked, the disgusting odor of smoke filling up the air, bringing tears to my eyes. I straightened up, held my chin high and replied "Yes."

"Twenty-five minutes to pack anything you need. You're under arrest for treason. Your father has already been sent to prison."

Kankurou and Gaara turned pale, blood rushing from their faces. "We need more time. We'll be ready in the morning," I tried to reason.

"Twenty minutes- or you won't live to see the morning," barked the officer. He threw his burning cigarette onto our pristine marble floor and ground it in with his polished boot.

We were about to become the burnt ends of a smoked cigarette.

* * *

At the age of seventeen, I was being arrested for a crime that I hadn't even committed. We didn't have the chance to say goodbye to our father or friends, although we had no idea if they were safe.

"Temari, where are we going? What have we done?" Gaara asked.

"It's a complete misunderstanding. Kankurou, are you listening? We must move quickly and pack all that is useful but not important to us. Do you understand? We have to stay strong and stick together. Shikamaru told me that his father said the men get sent off to harsh labor camps. If needed you two have to act absolutely dumb. Act like you're helpless and I'm guiding you. Those men can't see the kitchen or our rooms so listen carefully. Clothes and shoes must be our first priority. Put as much as you can into one suitcase. Promise me that if anyone tries to help you, you will ignore them. We must not drag anyone we know into this confusion. Even if someone calls out to you, you must not respond."

"Are we being arrested?" began Gaara.

"Swear on mother!"

"I swear," said Gaara softly. "But where is Father?"

I paused, my eyes blinking quickly. "He has been arrested. We have twenty minutes. Gaara go to the kitchen and pack as many packet or canned foods into a backpack. Kankurou, pack clothes for both of you."

Gaara and Kankurou were both seething with rage, clenching their fists tightly. But they understood the brevity of the situation. They simply had no choice.

I entered my bedroom and it began to spin. What was happening? The sound of Gaara and Kankurou running about pulled a cord within my consciousness. I yanked my suitcase from the closet and opened it on my bed.

Exactly a year before, the Soviets had begun moving their troops over the border into the country. When Kankurou had complained about it at the dinner table, I had told him to never, ever say anything disparaging about the Soviets. We had heard stories about Stalin; Shikamaru's father was a professor after all. He was our constant source of news about the happenings outside the country.

There were a few of us in school who were the sons and daughters of emigrants from Japan. We were Japanese by features but were born and brought up in Lithuania. Our loyalty lied with this nation; our hearts were bound with a strong sense of patriotism.

I took a photo of my friends, brothers and I from the shelf and placed the gold frame face up in the bottom of my empty suitcase. The faces stared back at me, happy, unaware. Except for Shikamaru, he wore his signature lazy expression as if telling the cameraman that it was too much effort to smile. I stood next to him, with the same expression on my face. I didn't like taking pictures. It was just a moment in time, something that was much too easy to alter. Fake smiles created the illusion of happiness. How were we to know that we would be taken only a few months later? Happiness was easily a facade but fear? In the Soviet Union, fear was the only thing omnipresent. If we were really going to jail, I wanted to keep the picture with me, cherishing that lazy face.

Slams and bangs popped throughout the house.

I put on my sandals and grabbed two books, hair ribbons and my hairbrush. I took my pens, pencils and the writing pad and placed them among the heap of items I had thrown into my case. I snapped the latches shut and rushed out of the room, the curtains blowing, flapping over my desk. It was the last time I would ever see it.

"Gaara, Kankurou," I said rushing into their room, my arms loaded with my suitcase filled with clothes, bandages, socks and blankets. "Hurry!" I threw open their closet and drawers, frantically throwing things, shoving things into their suitcase. Kankurou rushed out to help Gaara in the kitchen. "Kankurou take china!" I said panicking.

Gaara ran into the room. "I've taken all the biscuits, bread, tea bags and other dry food I could find. Kankurou said we should pack a few bottles of water." A smile graced my face for a mere second, "thank you Gaara. That was a very good idea." He grabbed the suitcase and put on socks and shoes. I grabbed him by the arm and ran down to the kitchen. "Kankurou hurry up! Put on socks and shoes!" I threw their summer raincoats on them just as Kankurou finished closing the last bottle of water. He swung the backpack over his shoulders and gave me a determined look. I shook my head. "Act dumb boys." I ran to the living room.

* * *

Gaara and Kankurou found me smashing all of our best crystal and porcelain on the floor. My face glistened with sweat as my golden ringlets fell loose over my eyes.

"Temari no!" yelled Kankurou, running towards the broken glass shards that littered the floor.

Gaara pulled him back and asked in a calm voice, "Temari why are you breaking our expensive things?"

I stopped and stared at the plate in my hand. "Because I adore them so." I threw the plate on the floor and it broke into a thousand pieces, much like how the NKVD wanted us to break into.

The door burst open and three NKVD officers entered carrying riffles. "What happened in here?" demanded a tall officer, surveying the damage.

"You have destroyed state property," he bellowed.

Gaara pulled his suitcase close, fearing that any minute, it too might become state property.

I looked in the foyer mirror to fix my lose curls. The NKVD officer slammed me in the shoulder with the butt of his rifle, throwing me face first into the mirror. "Pigs, always wasting time," he scoffed.

I righted and steadied myself. "Pardon me," I retorted flatly to the officer before fixing my curls again and sliding my pearl hair pin into place.

I was thankful that Gaara and Kankurou did not retaliate. At least they understood what I was doing; playing the Soviet officers like a careful hand of cards. I was not sure what they would next. "I have to use the bathroom."

"You have thirty seconds."

I shut the bathroom door and caught sight of my face in the mirror. I had no idea how quickly it was to change, to fade. If I knew then I would have stared at my reflection, memorizing the details of my face. It was the last time I would look into a real mirror for a very long time.


	2. The Encrusted Knife

AN: Flashbacks in Italics

Davai: Hurry!

**Edit: For those of you who have been reading this story since the first chapter :D, you will notice that the new second chapter after editing has become the old second chapter and third chapter.**

**Arc 1: Criminals and Prostitutes**

**Chapter 2**

It was nearly black on the road, the darkness threatening to swallow me up whole. The officers marched behind us, forcing us to keep speed with them, I saw our neighbor peer out of her curtains. The moment she saw me looking, she disappeared.

"Davai!" commanded an officer. Hurry, always hurry.

We marched towards a large dark object. It was a truck, surrounded by more NKVD. As we approached the rear of the vehicle, I saw people sitting on their language.

"Boost me up before they do," I whispered quickly to Kankurou, not wanting an officer to touch me. He did was he asked. The officers pushed Gaara up. He fell on his face, his luggage thrown on top of him. Kankurou made it without falling. I looked at all the faces in the truck. I recognized some of my father's friends; the ones that were in the government with him; the ones that were secretly against Stalin's oppressive ways. However, my eyes stopped as they fell on one particular face. My heartbeat quickened and pupils squinted, as if trying to confirm that the person was really sitting at the back.

He gave me his trademark lazy smirk and attempted to lift his hand up to wave, but decided not to and motioned at the three of us with his chin instead. We made our way to where he sitting, his mother at his side. "Where's your father?"

"Taken by the police. Just like your father," Yoshino replied. She sounded worn out. I offered a weak smile and sat down beside Shikamaru.

"We are all on the list. I don't what the list is, only that we are on it. Apparently so are the other people sitting here. I think it's because we are educated," stated Shikamaru.

"Do you think anyone else from school is on the list?" asked Gaara.

"I managed to catch a glimpse of it. I didn't see anyone else's family name that I recognized. Besides, the Hyuugas are protected because they're rich industrialists. Tenten, Lee and Kiba are probably under their protection. Shino and his family already escaped back to Japan. Sakura is laying low, Sasuke and Naruto probably aren't even on their lists since they're orphans. But I know that they're staying together and sleep with rifles under their pillows just in case. Chouji and Ino's families were planning to leave tonight."

"Why didn't you leave Shikamaru?" asked my brilliant, inquisitive brother, Kankurou.

"We were caught while leaving the house. Shikaku had already been taken," Yoshino replied in a soft, trembling voice. Shikamaru put his arm around his mother's shoulders in an attempt to comfort her. "Dad's strong. If there's anyone who can survive this it's him."

The back gate of the truck slammed shut. A low moan came from an old man in front of me.

"We're all going to die," he said slowly. "Our fates are sealed."

"That's absolute nonsense!" I said hastily.

"But we will," he insisted. "This is the end, it's written in our destiny."

Shikamaru sighed and muttered, "Troublesome, almost sounds like the old Neji," under his breath.

I held in a laugh. Funny how I could laugh despite the situation we were in, but at least we weren't alone.

The truck began to move, jerking forward quickly. The old man suddenly stood up and jumped out. He smashed onto the pavement, letting out a howling shriek like an animal ensnare. People in the truck screamed. The tires screeched to a halt and officers leapt out. I saw the man writhing in pain on the cold hard ground. They lifted him up and hurled his crumpled body back into the truck. One of his legs looked mangled. Gaara buried his face into my sleeve. I slipped my hand into his and Kankurou's. They were both shaking. My vision blurred. I squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them. The truck started moving once again.

"NO!" the man wailed, holding his leg.

The truck stopped in front of a hospital. Everyone seemed thankful that they would tend to the old man's injury. But they did not. They were waiting. A woman who was also on the list was giving birth to a baby. As soon as the umbilical cord was cut, they would be thrown into the truck.

* * *

Nearly three hours passed. We sat in the dark in front of the hospital, unable to leave the vehicle.

The old man, lying on his back, turned to face Gaara. "Boy, put your hands over my mouth and pinch my nose. Don't let go."

"Don't even try anything like that," I said, pulling Gaara close.

"Naïve little girl. Don't you realize this is just the beginning? We have a chance now to die with dignity."

"You speak of dignity, sir? What is dignity nowadays? The NKVD thinks they are acting with dignity when they're just scum," Shikamaru stated.

"You are the children of Sabaku, the Japanese man in the government?" asked a man in a suit sitting down in front of us. I nodded, affirming the question.

_Murmurs rose and fell in the dining room. The men had been sitting for hours. _

_I walked out to the edge of the dining room. A cloud of cigarette smoke hovered over the table, held captive by the windows and drapes. "Would anyone like more coffee?" I asked, holding up the pot._

_Some men looked down. Some coughed._

_"Temari, you're turning into quite a young lady," said a friend of my father's from the government. "And I hear you're very good in studies, always tied with Nara's son at first place."_

_"Indeed she is!" said Father. In front of his friends he always acted extra nice to Gaara, Kankurou and I._

_"Tell me Temari," said the man who wrote for the newspaper, "what do you think of this new Eastern Europe?"_

_"Don't encourage her, Nikita. The girl is so obstinate, it scares me to death," said Father. _

_"Well," the journalist replied, "now we see how she takes after her mother, don't we? You've raised a real good one."_

_Father was silent as I returned to the kitchen to cook dinner. The gathering ended and the men left at alternating intervals, out the front door._

"The government?" said the old man, still wincing due to the pain. "Oh well, if you three are here, then he's long gone. He must've been against the Soviets."

My stomach contracted like someone had punched me. I glared at the old man wondering how much adhesive it would take to keep his mouth shut.

"I am a simple post card collector. And they've arrested me because I correspond internationally with other collectors. A government man against his own government would be near the top of the list for-"

"Shut up!" Shikamaru blurted.

"Shikamaru!" said Yoshino. "You must apologize immediately. This poor man is in terrible pain; he does not know what he is saying."

"I know exactly what I am saying," the old man replied, staring at him.

All of a sudden, the hospital doors opened and a great cry erupted. An NKVD officer dragged a barefoot woman in a bloodied hospital gown down the steps. "My baby! Please don't hurt my baby!" she screamed. A doctor came running, grabbing the officer.

"Please, the newborn. It won't survive!" yelled the doctor. "Sir, I beg you. Please!"

The officer turned and kicked the doctor's kneecap.

They lifted the woman into the truck. Yoshino and I scrambled out to make room for her. The baby was handed up.

"Temari please," Yoshino said, passing the pink child to me. I held the bundle and instantly felt the warmth of its little body.

"My baby! Is she alright? My baby!" cried the woman, looking at me.

The child let out a soft cry. Its fight for life had begun.

* * *

I told Kankurou to take out one of the many coats that I had rammed into my suitcase. He gave it to Yoshino who wrapped the coat around the woman's shoulders and smoothed her hair away from her face.

"It's alright darling," said Yoshino to the young woman. She looked to be in her mid twenties, still young and pretty. But now her eyelids were drooping and fatigue threatened to overtake her, succumbing to sleep. She looked at Yoshino with pleading eyes. "They took my husband," breathed the woman. She was so young.

I sat next to Shikamaru. We both looked down at the little pink face in the bundle. "A new born. The child has been alive for only minutes and is already considered a criminal," I whispered to the boys. I clutched the baby close. Gaara leaned against me. "If they would do this to a baby, what will they do to us?" he questioned with a quiver to his voice.

"What is your name darling?" Yoshino asked the woman.

"Emma." She craned her neck. "Where is my child?"

Yoshino took the child from me and laid the bundle on the woman's chest.

"Oh, my baby," cried the woman, kissing the infant.

"My leg!" wailed the old man.

"I'll try to make a splint," said Kankurou taking out a long ruler from their suitcase. I smiled at him.

"A ruler? You're going to fix my leg with a ruler? Have you all gone raving mad?" screeched the old man.

"It's the best we can do at the moment," said Kankurou. "Temari give me something to tie it with."

I handed him the silk scarf that I had around my neck.

"Someone just shoot me please!" yelled the old man.

Blood began to soak through Emma's hospital gown. I felt nauseous. I closed my eyes and tried to think of something, anything that would calm me down. I pictured my classroom, sitting with all my friends, with the lazy idiot beside me staring out the window. I thought of the photo tucked in my suitcase. Help us, I thought, trying to communicate with my dead mother. For once in my life, I was thankful that she was not alive. Instead she was in heaven, a better place, away from the iron rule of the horrifying Stalin. Yet, I still yearned for the warmth that would engulf me when she would wrap her arms around me and sing a soothing lullaby. She died while giving birth to Gaara when I was only three. From that moment onwards it had become my mission to be like a mother to the boys, their pillar of strength, someone to fill the void that she left. After all, Gaara had never felt a mother's love.

* * *

We arrived at a train depot in the countryside. Trucks filled the rail yard, packed with people just like us. I looked around. The station was tucked in a deserted, dilapidated area, surrounded by dark woods. We had reached our first destination in the middle of nowhere.

* * *

"Davai!" yelled an NKVD officer as he opened the back of the truck. The train yard swarmed with vehicles, officers and people. The noise decibel grew with each passing moment. Yoshino looked at me and said "Stay to close to us. Hold on to each other and tightly to your luggage. We must not be separated."

"Davai!" yelled the officer, yanking a man off the truck and pushing him to the ground. Kankurou and Shikamaru began to help the rest down. I held the infant as they brought Emma down.

The old man twisted in pain as he was carried off the truck. A woman stopped when she saw Emma's bloody hospital gown and started tending to her and the old man while we all stood in a circle around them. Emma's bear feet were already caked with dirt.

"Davai!" barked an officer.

"We can't leave these people," said Yoshino. You must get a stretcher."

The officer laughed. "Carry them."

We did. Two men from the truck carried the wailing old man while Yoshino helped Emma walk. I carried the baby. Kankurou carried my suitcase while Shikamaru and Gaara helped carry the two suitcases Yoshino had been carrying. Amongst the five of us, we had five suitcases and one backpack that were going to be our life supply.

We reached the train platform. The chaos was palpable. Families were being separated. Children screamed and mothers pleaded. A lady from our train car, Miss Grey took the baby from me.

"Temari, is father here?" asked Gaara, clutching onto his coat.

I wondered the same thing. When and where had the Soviets dragged away our fathers? Shikamaru had not spoken about it but I knew he was speculating inside his intelligent brain.

"Davai!" An NKVD officer grabbed Gaara by the shoulders and began to drag him away.

"NO!" I screamed.

They were trying to take Gaara. "Temari! Kankurou!" he cried, flailing his arms like a little schoolboy.

"Stop!" Shikamaru screamed, tearing after them, Kankurou and I on his trail. He grabbed the officer and started speaking in Russian- pure, fluent Russian. The officer stopped and listened. He lowered his vice and spoke calmly. I couldn't understand a word he was saying. The officer jerked Gaara towards him and I grabbed his arm. Shikamaru asked me in Japanese so that the officer could not understand, if I had anything to trade, anything valuable. I nodded and held out a few rubles from my pocket and exposed it slightly to the officer. He reached for it and then said something to Shikamaru, and made an obscene gesture while staring at me. The NKVD officer wanted more, and I understood what he meant by that motion. I was disgusted. I was only seventeen. How could they be so utterly degrading?

Kankurou put his hand on my shoulder possessively while Shikamaru stepped in front of me. "Temari. Do you have anything with materialistic value? Not the crap he's asking for."

I reached up and tore the jade pendant right off my neck and pressed it to the NKVD officer's hand. He didn't seem to be satisfied. The officer was not looking at my eyes anymore; instead his gaze was is a little lower. They were all pigs. I angled my body so that only my head was visible over Shikamaru's shoulders. Shikamaru continued to speak in Russian and Kankurou pulled out a knife from his coat. I knew that knife. It was the knife that Kiba, his best friend had given to him on his birthday. The knife was a beautiful decoration piece at the same time deadly. Kiba had bought in the black market and had gone through great lengths to get it for Kankurou. It was worth a small fortune as it also had Kankurou's name engraved on it. The officer's eyes widened at the sight of it and he grabbed it and walked away. Obviously he could tell that the knife would fetch a heavy price underground. I let out a sigh of relief and threw Shikamaru a thankful gaze. He returned it with his trademark lazy smirk, but I saw something in his eyes that I had never seen before; determination. The real fight was going to start from here on.

What is the price of a human life? That morning, Gaara's life was worth an encrusted knife.


	3. Hope

**Arc 1: Criminals and Prostitutes**

**Chapter 3**

"It's all okay darling. We're all okay," said Yoshino, hugging Gaara, kissing his face. "Right? We're all okay."

"Right," I said quietly.

Gaara was still shaken up from the incident and Kankurou was doing his best to comfort him. I glanced around, searching for was a few steps away, staring up at the clouds in the illuminated night sky. The gears in his head were turning, formulating, scheming; thinking of different possible ways to get out of this terrible fate.

"Shikamaru…." I began.

"Hnn?" he turned to face me.

"Thanks…" I whispered softly so only he could hear, refusing to meet his gaze as the wind blew across my face.

"We have to stick together Temari, all of us. We're family now," he replied in an equally soft voice.

"What are you thinking about?" I questioned.

"…. My dad. Chouji. Ino. Naruto. Everyone... I hope their all safe," he indistinctly stated.

"Your dad is strong Shikamaru; physically and mentally. He outsmarts all of the officers just like you do. He's the likeliest of us to survive this…. And as long as you have him in your memory, he'll always be with you."

The corners of his lips turned up a little. "You always say the right thing you know Mari? Chouji and Ino are probably in Japan, eating barbecued pork. Actually, Chouji is stuffing his face while Ino is telling him to slow down."

My cheeks flared up a bit at the nickname but I replied back earnestly, "I can't have you crying now can I? You've got to be strong."

"Cheh, troublesome woman. One time I cry and you never forget it."

"Never," I said with a huge grin plastered on my face.

As long as we were all together, we would survive.

We stood on the train platform amidst the chaos. "Sabakus! Naras! Hurry! Their splinting people up! We're over here," came the nasal voice of Miss Grey.

Shikamaru took my hand while I grabbed Kankurou, he held on tightly to Gaara and Yoshino. We made our way through the crowd like a small boat cutting through a storm, unsure of whether we'd be sucked in or stay afloat. Brown wooden train cars lined the platform, stretching in links as far as the eye could see. They were crudely built and dirty, the kind that would carry livestock. They didn't have any windows unlike the cars that would transport people.

Yoshino maneuvered us through the crowd, pulling Gaara, setting of a pulling effect. I noticed how white our knuckles were becoming clutching our suitcases tightly. A boy passed by, with a suitcase as big as his body, struggling to carry it. He dropped it and immediately disappeared underfoot the crowd. I thought of all our beautiful things, smashed on the living room floor by me.

"Hurry!" shouted Miss Grey, gesturing to us. "These are the Sabakus and Naras," she said to an officer holding a clipboard. "They're in this car."

Yoshino let go of Gaara's hand as she scanned the crowd intently. _Please, _said her eyes as she searched for her husband.

"Mother," whispered Shikamaru, "he's not here."

"I know Shika. Just clinging on to a false hope."

"Davai!" screamed an officer into our ears.

Shikamaru pushed up Yoshino. Kankurou got up and pulled up Gaara. "Temari, Shikamaru," said Gaara, "you're coming up aren't you?" The whole NKVD incident had really shaken him up.

"Yes Gaara we're coming. Can you take this suitcase?" Shikamaru turned to me. "I'll get up and pull you."

Kankurou helped Shikamaru up and then he leaned down, circled his arms around my waist and lifted me up effortlessly. I avoided looking into his eyes as he stared into my teal orbs.

"Guys. Please. We're in the process of being arrested. There's no time for googly eyes," scoffed Kankurou.

I looked once more at the bedlam on the train platform. I thought about running, running until I couldn't run anymore. Maybe by some thread of luck the NKVD wouldn't see me and I would actually escape without being shot.

"We must stay together. It's very important," said Yoshino, lifting my chin up. "Where are we going?" I asked.

"I don't know yet."

* * *

The inside of the car was stifling and chock-full of strange smells, even with the door open. At the end of the car, large planks of wood approximately five feet deep had been installed as shelves. Emma lay on one of the planks, the baby crying on her chest.

"Where are the men?" Yoshino asked Miss Grey.

"They took them away," she replied.

"We'll need the men in this car to help with the injured," said Yoshino.

"There aren't any. We're sorted into groups of some kind. There are some elderly men, but they don't have any strength."

The baby gave a high pitched yell.

"Is your little one a boy or girl?" asked Yoshino.

"A girl," said Emma weakly. She shifted her bare feet on the wooden plank. They were cut and full of dirt.

I looked around the car. My head felt detached from my body as a throbbing headache pulsed through my brain. I felt a tug at my leg.

"Are you going to sleep now?" asked a small girl with hair the colour of pearls.

"What?"

"Are you going to sleep?" she thrust a doll, threads flying everywhere and one eye popping out, toward me. "This is my dolly."

I stared at the girl incredulously. Shikamaru came into the absurd conversation. "That's a sweet dolly."

She smiled up at him, grinning from ear to ear, "you both have pretty hair. One, two, three, four, five ponytails!" she said, giggling madly.

"Well I'm glad my hair brought happiness to you, little girl."

The temperature in the car had risen steadily since we had climbed in. The wet scent of body odor hung in the air. It was a smell that we would eventually grow accustomed too.

* * *

I counted the people, forty six packed in a cage on wheels, maybe a rolling coffin. People chattered about our possible destination. Some said NKVD headquarters, others thought Moscow. I scanned the group. Confusion, courage, anger and fear were the emotions that I recognized. Others were simply hopeless. I wonder which one I was.

Gaara, Shikamaru and Kankurou started to chat. Gaara and Shikamaru were in the same class after all. We all had the same group of friends back in school.

"Do you think they'd let us out, even for a few minutes?" said Gaara. "That way incase Shikaku or father are at the station they'll see us."

"Cheh. They won't let us do something like that. The NKVD won't let us do much of anything. I saw them shoot someone who tried to run," said Shikamaru. I gulped. Thank god I didn't try to run.

"They call us pigs," I said.

"Don't listen to them sis. They're the pigs. Stupid pigs," replied Kankurou.

"Shhh. Don't say that. They may hear you," warned Shikamaru.

"What are you, the police?" retorted Kankurou.

"No," he replied looking at me, "I just don't want you guys taken away."

"Don't get into trouble Kankurou," came Yoshino's motherly voice.

"At least you're all under eighteen, if not they would have taken the three of you away," I mentioned quietly.

Hours passed like long days. People cried out of heat and hunger. The old man openly complained about his pain while others tried to organize the space and luggage. We all cringed with each gunshot or scream. It was those sounds that jogged us out of our slumber or reverie and kept us alert. No one dared to leave the car.

Someone discovered a hole, the size of a plate, in a corner where an obstinate woman was sitting over with her daughter. They had been hiding the hole and the fresh air that came from it. People descended upon her, insisting that she move. After she had been dragged of the spot by Kankurou, we all took turns using the hole to go to the bathroom.

We were now acting like animals.

Yoshino braided my sweaty, wavy hair. I attempted to count how many hours we had spent in the prison box, and wondered how many hours more we had to go. People ate the food they brought. Most shared. The five of us didn't take out our food; we were conserving it for the tougher times that were eminent.

The sun slowly passed over us, watching us as it shone brightly with its warmth, almost akin to hope. It soon passed and the eerie glow of the moon cast shadows on us, the only source of light in the seemingly never ending darkness. I couldn't sleep. I wondered where Father was, what Hinata was doing, whether Tenten was safe in the Hyuuga household with Neji and Lee.

* * *

Something bumped my shoulder. I opened my eyes. It was lighter in the train car. Shikamaru stood above, nudging me with his knee. He put a finger to his lips and motioned with his head. I looked over at the boys, Kankurou and Gaara slept soundly beside each other, both clutching their coats around them. Shikamaru nudged me again.

I got up and stepped in between the human bundles towards the side of the train car. His warm breath passed over my ear, "I overheard NKVD speaking. About an hour ago, a long train came in. One of them said it was full of men. Maybe our fathers are on it."

"Let's go look for them," I replied, staring at the sun appearing over the horizon. If our fathers were near, I wanted to find them.

"You're not going," said Shikamaru. "I'll go."

"You can't go yourself. I'm coming with you whether you like it or not," I snapped.

"Troublesome woman, can't you be cooperative for once?"

I looked out of the train car. The guard was a hundred feet away, his back to me. I hung down off the edge and dropped quietly to the ground. Shikamaru quickly followed but yelped as his knee hit the ground hard. He grabbed me and we tried to hide behind one of the wheels, peeking underneath the train. The NKVD officer stopped and turned around.

He put his hand over my mouth. We crouched near the wheel, afraid to breathe, adrenaline pulsing through our veins and our faces turning pale. The officer resumed walking. We were lucky that he didn't have a dog with him. The NKVD were known for having large German Shepherds by their side.

Shikamaru peeked out the other side and waved me on. I crawled out. The back of our train car had Russian writing on it.

"Criminals and Prostitutes," Shikamaru whispered. "That's what it says."

Criminals and Prostitutes. There were mothers in that car, elderly people, a baby and children.

We looked around, and then ran under the other train, dodging splatters of waste. Shikamaru knocked on the bottom near a bathroom hole. A shadow appeared.

"We're looking for Shikaku Nara and Sabaku," he whispered.

The head disappeared. We heard scuffling on the floor of the car. The head reappeared. "Not in this car. Be careful children, be very quiet."

We hurried from car to car, dodging droppings and knocking. Each time a head disappeared, I felt my stomach tighten. "Please, please, please," I would say. And then we'd move on until we reached the fifth car. The man's head disappeared. It was quiet inside. "Please please please," I said.

"Temari?"

"Father!" I said, trying not to raise my voice. Father's face appeared in the hole. He looked dead tired, and his eye was black and blue. I let out a gasp.

"Father, we're in the car over there," I began. "Come with us."

"Shh… I can't. Shikamaru and you shouldn't be here. Where are Gaara and Kankurou?"

"In the car," I said, relieved yet horrified to see my father's swollen face. "Are you all right?"

"I'm okay," he said. "Are you okay? Are your brothers okay?"

"We're okay," I said.

"They don't know we're here," said Shikamaru. "We wanted to find the both of you. Mr. Sabaku, they broke into your house and-"

"We know. They're taking us to Siberia I think. Wait Shikaku is coming."

"Shikamaru," came Shikaku's gruff voice, "you need to take care of your mother. Make sure she doesn't lose her spirit to boss people around."

Shikamaru let out a soft chuckle. "Mum is fine. She's babying Gaara and Kankurou now. Is it true they're taking you to Siberia?"

"They take many to Siberia. All of you must stay together. There are many of us in this car together as well. Kakashi, Gai, Asuma, Baki even Jiraiya are all here. Inochi and Chouza managed to escape."

Shikamaru let out a sigh. "At least they're safe and all of you are together."

My father's arm came out of the hole holding some folded material. "Take this jacket and socks. You'll need them." More noise came from inside. Shikaku handed out another jacket, two shirts and more socks. "Shikamaru, take this and give it to your mother. Tell her it's okay to sell it if she has too. I have a picture of all of us in my pocket." Shikaku's hand came down again, holding his gold wedding band. Shikamaru stared at it.

"Shikamaru do you understand? Tell her it's in case she needs money."

I wanted to tell my father that we had traded a knife for Gaara's life. But I couldn't, I wasn't able to swallow my spit down my throat.

Gai's voice came through the hole, "Temari, Shikamaru, you must all stay together and keep the power of youth deep within your hearts. Never let go of it."

Baki's hand came down and gave me a small hourglass with sand in it. "Keep this safe and take care of your brothers. Stay safe."

I nodded, trying to hold back the tears that were filling up my eyes.

"You're very brave to have come. You must all stay together. I know you both will take good care of the rest while we're away," said Shikaku.

"Father," Shikamaru paused looking up at his face, "I think I understand what you meant when you said mum's smile was enough."

Shikaku smiled and shook his head, "I knew you would someday." Then he looked at me and gave me a wink.

I clutched the bundle of clothes as tears begun to drop down my cheeks.

"Don't cry Temari. Courage. You have to be brave for Kankurou and Gaara. Do you understand? You must be very careful," came my father's voice.

"But," I started, uncertain.

"I love you three. Tell them I love them, and I wish I could've done more. Say your prayers."

"Pray for Lithuania. Tell your mother I love her and Shikamaru, continue to think of strategies. Never give up. Stay safe children. Now run back. Hurry!"

My chest hurt and my eyes burnt. Shikamaru's lips were pursed but his eyes were threatening to overflow any second. I started to walk but stumbled. Shikamaru caught me. "Are you okay?" he asked. His face looked soft, worried.

"I'm fine," I muttered, quickly wiping my eyes and pulling free of his grasp. "Let's go, quickly."


	4. Passion

**Arc 1: Criminal and Prostitutes**

**Chapter 4**

"HALT!" a voice commanded.

We were so close, nearly under our train car. NKVD boots marched toward us. My heart started hammering at a breakneck speed, threatening to burst out of my chest. Shikamaru tucked his Father's wedding ring into his palm.

"Davai!" the voice yelled. Sounds of dogs barking pierced through the air.

Shikamaru and I crept up from under the car.

"Shikamaru! Temari!" yelled Yoshino, leaning out of the train. Gaara and Kankurou's faces peered out, white as ash.

The officer pointed his gun at Yoshino, signaling for her to be quiet. He then circled around us, his boots coming closer.

I felt Shikamaru edge up beside me. He tightened his fist hoping that the guard wouldn't see the wedding ring.

"We dropped some things down the bathroom hole," Shikamaru lied in Russian, lifting up the bundle. The officer looked at the socks on top of the heap. He shoved us both to the ground and waved his rifles around our faces, yelling in Russian. I huddled near Shikamaru, staring down the barrel of his gun. I closed my eyes. _Please. _He kicked dirt at our legs and then spat "Davai!" pointing toward the car train.

Yoshino's face was drained of colour. She did a poor job of hiding her fear. Her hands trembled and she was nearly panting. "You could've been killed!"

"We're okay ma," announced Shikamaru. His voice shook. "We found our fathers."

People crowded around us, they wanted to know how many men were on the train and if we saw their loved ones.

"They said they think we're going to Siberia," I reported. Shikamaru opened his palm and Yoshino saw the ring. She took it off and put it to her lips. She began to cry.

"Don't cry ma," said Shikamaru, pulling her into a hug. "Gaara, Kankurou… I saw Father. He said he loved us and we need to stay together," I said, my shoulders trembling.

"Girl!" shouted the old man. "What else did he say?"

I sniffled. "He said we're going to Siberia."

"He's probably right."

Yoshino's crying subsided. Gaara and Kankurou were in deep thought.

I looked out of the train car, hoping to see someone, anyone that I knew.

Two Soviets pulled a priest down the platform. His hands were bound and his robes dirty. Why a priest? But then again… Why any of us?

I stared at Gaara. He was still so young. The baby was just a few days old. I hated them, the NKVD and the Soviets. Gaara and Kankurou didn't even have the chance to say goodbye to Father.

_My room door flew open and banged against the wall with a thud. I didn't even have to look up to know it was Kankurou. _

_"Kankurou! How many times have I told you to knock? Do you want me to tell everyone about how you like to play with your little dollies?"_

_"They're puppets Temari! Everyone knows that. So shut up. This is serious. A NKVD officer was outside our door and I met him while entering the house." I stopped doing my homework and looked up at Kankurou's face. He was as pale as a ghost. _

_"What happened?" I said, trying to keep my voice from shaking. _

_"Father hasn't returned for two days Temari. I know it's normal but the NKVD officer was looking for him. He told me that if they could'nt find him in the next three hours, he would be labeled a criminal to the state; a missing man._

_Missing. The elongated 's' sound pierced through my heart and broke it into a million pieces like a double edged sword. "And we do not know where he is. Why were they looking for him Kanky?"_

_"I don't know. I don't know anything anymore Tema."_

* * *

I woke up with a start between Gaara and Kankurou. The door to our car had been closed and locked. People began to panic.

The engines let out a hiss of steam.

"Mama," whimpered a little voice, "I'm scared. Turn on the lights."

"Did anyone bring a lamp?" I asked.

"Sure, and I have a three-course meal in my pocket as well girly," the old man retorted. "Look out that little slot and tell us what you see."

I moved toward the front of the car and hoisted myself up.

"The sun is rising. The sky is crimson with an orange glow," I said.

"Spare us the poetry," snapped the old man. "What's happening out there?"

"NKVD officers are walking by the train with rifles. There are large German Shepherds with them and there are some men in dark suits looking at the train cars."

We felt a jolt as the train car began to move.

"There's luggage everywhere," I said. "And lots of food on the platform." People groaned and a few licked their lips at the word food. The station looked eerie, desolate, frozen with only the remnants of the chaos that had taken place.

"We're moving out the station," I reported. I craned my neck to look ahead. "There's a priest. He's praying. A man is holding up a large crucifix." The priest looked up, flung oil, and made the sign of the cross as our train rolled away.

He was issuing last rites.

* * *

As we rolled, I reported every miniscule detail from the makeshift window; the rivers, the big churches, buildings and even the trees. People sobbed, moaned in agony. Tulips burst with colour against the June landscape. We moved along, our car marked 'Criminals and Prostitutes". The country had never looked so picturesque.

"We're coming into a station."

"What does the sign say?" the old man asked.

Vilnius. We were pulling into Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania.

"They're unhooking the cars with the men, they're splitting the train into two."

Shots cut through the air.

"Where are they taking the men?" Gaara asked.

"Maybe Siberia," said Miss Grey. "And maybe we're going somewhere else."

I preferred the thought of Siberia, if that's where the men would be.

Metal clanged and screeched. They were dividing the train. There was another sound, this time more genuine.

"Listen," I said. "The men." It grew louder. They were singing, singing at the top of their lungs, voices going hoarse.. Shikamaru, Gaara and Kankurou sang as well and finally, the old man joined in, singing our national anthem. Lithuania, land of heroes…

I wept.

* * *

The voices of the men had sounded full of pride, confidence. Where were they all going? And where were we going in our car labeled Criminals and Prostitutes?

I wiped my tears with my handkerchief and allowed others to do so as well. When it was handed back to me, I stared at it long and hard. A handkerchief was not like paper, it would not deteriorate. I could write and draw on it, use it to send messages to our fathers. While I devised a plan, the women in the car were growing increasing anxious with worry for the baby.

Yoshino kept urging Emma to keep trying. But the baby refused to suck. On top of that, Emma was too dehydrated. Despite efforts being made, nothing seemed to help.

We rolled for days. Sometimes it would rain. When it did we would all listen yearningly to the rivulets of water, the drops splashing against the top of the car. Some would hold out their palms in the pathetic attempt to catch a few of those droplets and drink. It was these days that I remembered Ino and all the other girls.

_The bell rang and everyone scrambled out like a pack of dominos that had been set to fall. I stayed behind, packing up my books. Suddenly, Ino came rushing into the classroom, with all her glory and blonde hair. She was so fast that I could barely register her movement. I let out a yelp as she tapped me on my shoulder. She was grinning like a Cheshire cat, her faultlessly painted nails gleaming in the sunlight and perfectly aligned white teeth flashing. The teacher 'tsked' and walked out. _

_I sighed in apprehension, contemplating whether I should attempt to ignore her or pretend to care about what she was going to tell me. No matter, she was going to tell me anyways, my apathetic nature hardly got to her. All she needed was a poor victim to listen to her drone on about her brilliant life._

_She grabbed my collar. "Temari… Guess what?"_

_"School is over for today?" I asked hopefully._

_"So close Temari. HE said the most romantic thing ever!"_

_I let out an inaudible groan. The HE was Ino's new pretty boy, as dubbed by Tenten and I. They had been together for a week now, so I guess you could say that they were getting pretty serious. _

_Note my sarcasm._

_"Aren't you going to ask what he said?"_

_"Even if I don't, you're going to tell me anyways."_

_"That is absolutely correct!" she practically yelped, "He said that I should go out and catch all the raindrops that I can. So I did."_

_"And?"_

_"He told me that the number of raindrops I couldn't catch was equivalent to how much he loved me! Isn't that just soooooooo romantic?!" she gushed._

_"… That's so cliché Ino…" I said in a deadpanned voice, but nothing could knock the girl when she was on cloud nine. _

_"He's just sooooo romantic!"_

I smiled to myself. I missed her, even with her overly bubbly personality and overbearing attitude.


	5. For the First Time

**Arc 1: Criminals and Prostitutes**

**Chapter 5**

Sometimes we would stop in the middle of nowhere. The NKVD wanted to make sure that we had nowhere to run. We waited for our daily stops, it was the only time the door would be open to let light and fresh air in.

"One person! Two bucket. Any dead bodies?" the guards would ask. We had agreed to rotate, that way everyone would get a chance to get out. Today was my turn, I had fantasized for hours about the blue sky and the warm sun on my skin.

I shook my head at their unpleasant inquiry, eager to get out. I jumped out. My stiff legs gave away below me and I fell to the ground.

"Temari! Are you alright?" called Kankurou.

"Davai!" yelled a guard, along with a series of Russian expletives.

I got up and looked down the length of the train. The sky was grey today, not sunny. Rain fell steadily. I heard a scream and saw two limp bodies heaved out into the mud. A woman tried to jump out after the corpse. She was smashed in the head with a rifle. Death had begun to gather.

I looked at my car. Dirt and filth clung to everyone's faces. Everyone looked so pathetic that my heart ached. The wet green field beside us was beckoning me. I imagined it telling me to "Come here, run."

Maybe I should, I thought. "Do it, Temari." I stared longingly at the field. Light reflected of the green blades of grass and tiny dew drops caused little rainbows among the blades. The grass was truly greener on the other side. There were farmers fields if you looked further. It looked like they were growing corn. Beautiful, tasty corn. I took a step towards the field.

"Temari. Come back," pleaded Shikamaru.

I closed my eyes. I imagined rain running down my face, cleansing the grease and dirt from my skin, washing away all the horrible moments since being arrested.

"Davai!"

An NKVD officer hovered above me, his breath reeking of alcohol. He grabbed my arms and threw me towards the train car. Shikamaru pulled me up.

"What did you see out there?" demanded the old man.

"I…I saw the NKVD officers throwing dead bodies off the train. Two young children." Murmurs ran through the people.

"I wanted to run," I whispered to Shikamaru, "there are fields out there; with food growing."

"I can understand that," he replied.

"You can?"

"Temari, wanting to get away from this is perfectly normal," he proceeded to grab my palm and lifted it to his cheek, "But we must all stick together."

I suppressed a blush and shrugged my hand away. "How can they decide that we're just animals? They don't even know us!"

"We know us. Don't let them cloud our minds," he replied unwaveringly.

I nodded slowly. But I knew some people had already been convinced that they were at fault. I saw them cowering in front of the guards, their faces absent of hope.

"When I looked up at the car, everyone looked sick."

Shikamaru flinched just a bit. "Well, we're not. When the rest of the world comes to know of the horrors that Stalin has committed, they will put an end to it all."

Would they? I had my doubts. Somehow I could tell that Shikamaru also doubted that the iron rule would end soon.

* * *

We weren't sick, but the others were. Every day when the door would open, we would lean out and try to count the number of dead bodies thrown. I noticed that Gaara was keeping a track of the children. For every dead child, he would make a small mark on the floorboard with a stone. I imagined drawing little heads, hands and legs to go along with the stick body.

We had been rolling for eight days when the train jerked and began to move much more slowly.

Kankurou was at the little slot. "There's another train. The train is going in the opposite direction. It's stopped."

Our train car dragged. We were pulling up alongside it. Shikamaru quickly swapped places with Kankurou and yelled out in Russian. They replied. The energy in his voice lifted and he begun to speak rapidly, pulling for breaths between each question. It was rare to see Shikamaru so excited. His voice was full of youthful vigor. Gai would've been proud.

"For God's sake," said the old man. "Don't be so daft as to socialize. Who are they?"

"They're soldiers," he reported, ecstatic. "They're going to the front. There is a war between Germany and USSR. Germany has moved into Lithuania!"

Morale soared. Kankurou and Gaara shouted and whooped. People hugged one another and cheered.

Only Emma was quiet. Her baby was dead.

* * *

I looked at Emma. She was staring down at her beloved baby in her arms, eyes wide open and shaking madly.

"No," she said through gritted teeth, rocking back and forth. "No. No."

Yoshino moved towards her. "Oh, I'm so sorry."

"NO!" Emma screamed, clutching her baby. Hot tears stung my eyes.

"What are you crying for?" complained the old man. "You knew it was going to happen. The thing is better off dead. When I die, you'll be smart to eat me if you all want to survive so badly. Cannibalism might be the only way to survive."

Gaara gulped, "Cannibalism?"

He prattled on with his infuriating opinions and comments, putting everyone on edge.

"DAMN YOU!" Shikamaru screamed and lurched forward towards him. "If you don't shut your mouth, I'll break both your hands. I'll do it. I'll make the Soviets look kind." No one spoke or tried to stop Shikamaru. Not even Yoshino. I felt relieved, as if the words had come out of my mouth, my inner most thoughts were exposed.

"You're only concerned with yourself," Shikamaru continued. "When the Germans kick the Soviets out of Lithuania, we'll leave you here so we don't have to put up with your pissing off thoughts."

"Boy, you don't understand. The Germans aren't going to solve anything. Hitler's going to create more problems. Haven't you heard about what he does to the Jews? All the rumours that no one believes," the old man muttered.

I stepped in. "No one wants to hear from you. Understand?"

"Emma, dear," said Yoshino. "Give me the baby."

"Don't give her to them," Emma begged.

"We will not give here to the guards. I promise. We'll wrap her in something beautiful."

Emma sobbed.

Gaara returned with the two buckets, it was his turn to get out today.

"Why are you crying?" he questioned, getting up.

I shook my head.

"What's wrong?" he pressed.

"The baby's dead," said Kankurou in a somber voice.

"Our baby?" Gaara asked softly.

Kankurou nodded.

Gaara put down the buckets. He looked over at Yoshino holding the bundle and then knelt down and took the small stone out of his pocket, making a mark on the floor. He paused for a few moments and begun slamming the stone against the markings, harder and harder. He beat the floorboards with so much force that I thought he might injure himself. I moved toward him but Kankurou and Shikamaru stopped me.

"Let him do it," Kankurou said. I looked at him uncertain.

"It's better if he gets used to it," mumbled Shikamaru.

I looked at Shikamaru, he saw me staring. "Are you used to it?" I asked.

A muscle in his jaw twitched. "Maybe."

* * *

We travelled further South and passed into Asia, another continent. People said we were on the course for southern Siberia or even China. We tried for three days to sneak Emma's baby out, but the guards stood near whenever the doors were open. The smell of rotting flesh had become unbearable in the stuffy compartment. It made me retch.

Emma finally agreed to drop the baby down the bathroom hole. She knelt over it, sobbing, holding the bundle. "For God's sake," moaned the old man. "Get rid of it! I can't breathe."

"Be quiet!" I yelled.

"I can't," whimpered Emma. "She'll be crushed on the tracks. Yoshino moved towards her but before she reached her, Miss Grey snapped the bundle from Emma and threw it down the hole. I let out a gasp. Emma fell into Yoshino's arms.

"There," said Miss Grey, "Done. It's always easier for someone unattached." She wiped her hands on her dress and adjusted her bun.

* * *

Weeks went past. I lost track of how long we had been travelling. What would people think when they saw our train? Did they really believe that we were Criminals and Prostitutes? I felt as if I was swinging in an abyss of hopelessness. I clutched the small hourglass that Baki had given me close to my heart as I slept every night, or tried too.

One day, we stopped in the countryside. There was a small kiosk. Yoshino bribed a guard to let her out of the car. She came running back, her entire skirt heavy. She released her skirt and candies, mountains of gumdrops and every other imaginable treat spilled out like a rainbow had exploded in front of us. The bright colours hurt my eyes. The children squealed with delight and moved towards the sweets. I bit into a gumdrop, a burst of apple exploded in my mouth. Gaara and Kankurou both had lollipops in their mouths and Shikamaru was chewing a toffee. She also bought plain crackers and cans of tomatoes. Yoshino explained that they didn't sell bread or biscuits as she divided the treasure amongst everyone. Children grabbed at her legs in glee, thanking her profusely.

"Foolish woman, why did you waste your money on us?" said the bald man.

"Because you are hungry and tired," Yoshino said, handing him a plain cracker.

"Hah," he scoffed and looked away.

Two days later, when it was his turn to get out, Shikamaru found an oval stone full of quartz and other minerals. Everyone passed it around, spellbound by its beauty. The little girl with pearl coloured hair joked and put it up her fingers as if it were a shimmering gemstone.

"Didn't you know?" she said sweetly. "I'm a princess."

We laughed. People smiled. I almost didn't recognize them. I looked over at Shikamaru. His face beamed with a grin that changed his appearance entirely. He was quite handsome when he smiled. But I wouldn't admit that to anyone.

_I was munching on my favourite homemade sweet dango while reading my Chemistry textbook. I had a test in the next class and I didn't want Shikamaru to beat me again._

_Speaking of the devil, he sauntered over to me, hands in his pockets and his lazy eyes drooping. He sat down beside me and closed his eyes. I continued to read the textbook, ignoring his presence. _

_"Oi troublesome woman. Why are you studying? It's lunch."_

_I licked my lips and replied with a glint in my eye, "We have a test in the next period."_

_He put in the effort to pretend to be worried. "What? Another test? I shouldn't have let my mother sign me up for this stupid advanced chem class."_

_I scoffed. "It doesn't matter. You can balance equations and solve the most annoying mathematical question with your eyes closed."_

_At the end of my sentence, he closed my textbook shut and looked at me. "Hey!" I protested while trying not to blush as he stared into my eyes. "Unlike you, I actually have to study Shikamaru!"_

_"I know." A smug smile graced his lips as he stopped me from putting the dango I was holding into my mouth. He was holding my wrist. He came really, really close to my face. He was just a few centimeters away that I could feel his breath. Could he hear my heart hammering at the speed of the nonexistent bullet train he kept blabbering about? I hoped not. His lips were right above mine and I prayed to god that none of the other students were watching us. Public display of affection was not really accepted in our society since the Soviets took over. _

_He smirked once again and brought his mouth down to my hand; the one holding the dango. Then he proceeded to eat my last dango! I let out a low growl. "Shikamaru. Run. Run for your life. You just ate my dango!"_

_He smirked and dodged the poor attempt for a punch that I threw at him. He got up and walked away slowly. He didn't bother to run. It was too much effort and on top of that, it would take me at least a minute to pack up all my stuff that was littered across the table. "Damn that crybaby," I thought to myself. _

_He turned back and smiled at me as he entered our chemistry classroom. Blood rushed to my cheeks. "Where the hell did that smile come from?" I wondered. _

Both of us joked about the moment afterwards. We called it 'The Dango Incident'. Needless to say, that was the first time Shikamaru had smiled at me like that and consequently, after our test (we both topped, naturally) I managed to punch his shoulder. Hard.


	6. Violated

AN: Hey. Thank you for all the reviews and follows :D I'm on a roll with this story. Some parts really do seem like they've been copied from the books I stated. I hope after the editing that has reduced. As my old readers have noticed, there are changes. The new chapter 2 is now the old chapter 2 and old chapter 3. You may want to skim through the chapters again because I've added in a few more flashbacks and scenes. Nothing major. If you want to know exactly where I've made changes or added new scenes then send me a PM or mention it in the review :) Thank You!

**Arc 1: Criminal and Prostitutes**

**Chapter 6**

It was around noon when the train pulled to a halt. We were told to get out but leave our luggage inside. Yoshino made the four of us comb our hair. I refused to let my hair down from my signature four ponytails.

The train had stopped next to some kind of old, decrepit building. We were in a deep valley with mountains surrounding as at every direction. I breathed in deeply, inhaling the fresh air, loving the taste and smell of it. Outside there were men clad in black and white suits wearing expensive looking ties and watches. I didn't like the look of them. We were all made to assemble in straight lines. Anyone out of alignment was hit with a rifle. NKVD officers stood beside us with German Shepherds at their sides. They could easily shoot us at any given moment.

An NKVD officer with a loud hailer stood in front of the massive crowd of Lithuanians. The suited men walked towards us and went from line to line. Emma begun to weep loudly. "Darling please shush. You'll draw attention to us," pleaded Yoshino.

A towering man, probably more than 180 centimeters stopped beside us and started conversing with the NKVD officer that was guarding us. The man didn't look like he was Lithuanian. He was much darker and reeked of alcohol. He seemed… primitive. He eyed me like a hungry lion waiting to pounce on his prey. I turned away and looked at Shikamaru. The same determined look encompassed his face and his hands were clenched in fists. "What are they talking about Shika?" I questioned softly, fearing the answer.

He didn't answer.

"Shika…" I repeated pleadingly.

"They're selling the women," he replied gravely.

I almost fainted.

* * *

The women and men were separated. Only for a short while, they promised. The women were taken to the right side of building while the men were taken to the left side. Before that, we were all asked to undress until we were only clad in our underwear. No one in our line moved until Yoshino snapped us out of our reverie. We were too shocked to comprehend what they were asking us to do. It was a blatant abuse of our morals and dignity. Slowly, the men began to take of their clothes. I refused to take of anything, I was too stubborn. Yoshino coaxed me out of it. She told me they might shoot me if I didn't follow orders. Honestly, I would've rather die than do something so embarrassing. I still took of my shirt. The NKVD officer beside us nodded appreciatively and I turned away from_ it_. I stared at the ground as I pulled my skirt down. I dared not look at anyone.

Yoshino, now also undressed, lifted my chin up. I looked around and saw that the boys refused to look at us. Shikamaru was adamantly against that. They were standing faced away from where we girls were huddled together. The NKVD directed us towards the right side of the building and told us that we had shower in three minutes.

We were told to remove our underwear before we stepped under the shower. I removed my bra and panties and stood beside Yoshino, trying to conceal myself with my hands. A guard walked down the line of women and stopped at Yoshino. He grinned at her larger voluptuous assets and looked her up and down. Yoshino refused to meet his gaze. I let out a breath in disgust.

The guard's gaze snapped to me. His icy cold gaze sent shivers down my spine; I wish the ground opened up and swallowed me whole. He pulled me to him and grinned down at me, much like the man in the suit before. I had never been naked in front of a man. His gaze was violating in every aspect. His rough hand trailed down my shoulder and closer to my chest and I felt sick. I couldn't do anything to stop him. I felt dirtier on the inside than I was on the outside. I tried to cross my arms in a poor attempt to protect myself.

That's when the guard pushed me back into the line and spat at my feet. I let out a sob as Yoshino grabbed me and encircled my shoulders with her hands. The guard continued walking. The guards marched us into the showers.

The water poured down my body, turning brown with dirt. I watched as the brown rivers of dirt ran down my legs and into the drain. I wanted to be sucked down into the drain as well, away from the pathetic guards and the shame. I was shivering against the stream of water and scrubbed my body as well as I could. Yoshino washed my hair as I washed hers.

The showers snapped shut and the guards thrust rags at as that were supposed to pass as towels. We were told to dry ourselves and get into our underwear. Once all the women were ready, we were all pushed into the building where there were more men in suits waiting for us. I was afraid. I didn't know what was going to happen. I felt pathetic and helpless for the first time ever.

All the women stood together in a group, our backs towards the men. We were all holding hands. The men would circle around us like scavenging vultures in packs and stop when they saw someone they liked. A group of them stopped next to Yoshino and me and made us face them. I refused to meet their gaze. One of them snapped my panties and laughed. I bit my lip in an effort to keep quiet. Once again, I felt absolutely violated. I almost burst into tears but they walked away, off to trouble another poor girl. Yoshino took me into her arms and ran her fingers through my hair. A few women from the other cars were taken into a dark corner. I understood what was going on from the screams that were coming from there. It was degrading. I felt like snapping the necks of these scum. Yoshino told me to be thankful I wasn't the one in that corner.

I was.

After a few hours of scream and violating looks, we were allowed to go back to our train cars. We wore our clothing once again and returned to our respective cars. The men were already inside. When the boys saw Yoshino and me, their faces lit up, glowing. They helped all of us up and started questioning us about what happened. I sat beside Yoshino as she told them the basics. We showered and were thrust into the building. She left out the part about the guard touching me and women being raped.

* * *

It was late in the night and everyone was asleep. I was clutching the hourglass next to my heart and watching the sand pour. I couldn't sleep. When I got bored I would look around the train car and see the shadows created by the small beam of moonlight drifting in. On my second observation, I realized that Shikamaru was also awake, except he was staring at his mother. He came and sat down beside my lying form yet he didn't look at me.

"What actually happened?" he asked.

I kept quiet.

"Don't hide it. It's obvious that ma was lying," he whispered as he lay down beside me.

"She didn't lie Shikamaru."

"Then what did she miss out?" he said and put a hand on my cheek.

I flinched. "Don't touch me. I don't want anyone to touch me." His eyes filled with worry.

"Mari. What happened in there?" his voice came, laced with worry.

I kept quiet for a few minutes and I began to shake. Shikamaru's arms enclosed around me, like a protective barrier from all the disgrace. His touch was not like _it's_. His touch was warm and kind and protective. I didn't feel disgusted or violated by it. I reveled in his embrace and stopped shivering after a few moments. He just held me, he didn't question me further. He understood that I would tell him when I was ready.

We stayed like that throughout the night. I don't think he slept at all but halfway through the night I had fallen asleep. It was the best sleep I had in a long time.

* * *

Sunlight streamed in through the cracks. A ray of light fell on my face and I opened my eyes.

"You yawn like a cat," said Shikamaru. I yelped. His face was a mere centimeter away from mine.

I had forgotten that I fell asleep in his embrace. His arms were still around me, his face right next to me. For a split second I forgot what happened the previous day in that wretched building and smiled at him.

"Wait. You were watching me while I slept? Weirdo! Who does that?" I whispered to him.

He grinned at me and retorted "Nothing better to do the whole night."

"You didn't sleep the whole night?" I asked.

"Yeah. What were you doing the whole night Shikamaru? And why are your arms around my sister like that?" came Kankurou's annoying voice. I inwardly groaned. Now he chooses to be overprotective.

"Chill Kankurou. We didn't do anything. She was cold," Shikamaru simply stated under Kankurou's threatening gaze.

"Are you sure about that?" chimed Gaara.

"Please boys. Shikamaru's too lazy to try anything. If he did I would just punch him like I did after The Dango Incident. And even if he did it's none of your business," I replied with a grin. Shikamaru cringed at the mention of The Dango Incident. Then he whispered into my ear, "I'm glad you're okay now." I smiled at him. I was excellent at maintaining facades. Little did I know that he was good at seeing through them.

"Can you at least get your hands of her?" Kankurou snapped.

Both of us blushed as Kankurou and Gaara burst out into giggles. If Ino and Sakura had caught Shikamaru and I in such a position, they wouldn't shut up about it. They were after all, the gossip queens. I smiled as a reminisced about the nostalgic days.


	7. Gone

AN: Hello again! :) I just wanted to say (again) that the edited Chapter 2 used to be the old Chapter 2 and 3. Please skim through the story once more because there are additional scenes now. Thank you so much for all the reviews and follows.

**Arc 1: Criminal and Prostitutes**

**Chapter 7**

_June 2__nd__ 1941. _

_It was a normal day at school. Chemistry passed with me furiously scribbling notes and Shikamaru staring out the window. Clouds dotted the azure sky like cotton candy, it was the perfect day for the lazy crybaby to cloud gaze. That's exactly what he did. He would arrive five minutes early to class just to snag the only window seat. Since the teacher had assigned us to be partners, I had to sit next to him while he miraculously never got caught despite his lack of attentiveness to the lecture about 'The Periodic Table'. _

_When the bell for lunch sounded, Ino came dashing into the classroom towards Shikamaru and I. She was panting, her hair a bit out of place and her shirt disheveled. She looked like she'd been running for miles. _

_"Shika...maru… Tem...ari… fol…low," she let out in short breaths. We both raised an eyebrow and glanced at each other. Neither of us knew what was going on thus we trailed after Ino. She pushed past the students filling the corridors. I had never seen Ino so… frantic before. Even Shikamaru seemed to be uncharacteristically worried. Nonetheless, we followed her into an open classroom without uttering a word. Everyone was gathered with solemn looks on their faces. Naruto, Sasuke, Sai, Gaara, Kankurou, Neji, Lee, Chouji, Kiba, Shino (I couldn't tell if he was worried or not, even his eyes were hidden by those strange black glasses), Hinata, Sakura and finally Tenten all looked up when we entered the room. The silence that enveloped the room was frightening, who knew Naruto and Kiba could keep their mouths shut? There was pin drop silence until Sai spoke up. _

_"I have been called."_

_One line was enough to strike fear through my heart. Everyone knew, yet we ignored. We weren't safe in the Soviet Union. No one was safe anywhere. Silently, our classmates had started disappearing, the principal coming to classes with two Soviet Officers by his side, calling one student's name and telling him or her to go home. We all lived in fear of that moment and cringed every time the classroom door would open. For the first time ever, a teacher was called last week. His name was Hayate Gekko, the only Japenese teacher in our school. Students of all nationalities were called, despite which political party their father belonged to or which occupation their mother was in. They would exit class with a weary smile on their faces after hugging their friends. _

_We never saw them again. _

_"I have to leave after lunch," Sai's stoic voice broke through my string of consciousness. Ino was sobbing while Chouji consoled her. Sakura and Naruto were on the verge of breaking down. _

_Sai was... he wasn't like any of us. He was an orphan and had been brought up by Danzo. Danzo was a well known name throughout the streets. He was part of the Resistance. The Resistance was an underground group, extremely top secret. No one knew who was part of the Resistance. Sometimes, caught Resistance members would be executed on the streets as a warning to the citizens. Danzo was a whispered name. There were a few known ones, high profile Resistance members who had hidden themselves well. But they had other people sending messages or planting bombs for them. Sai was one of them. _

_We were a tight nit group, we would give our life for another. Sai hadn't been called for being part of the resistance, if the Soviets knew, an officer would have just waltzed into the classroom and put a bullet through his brain. Sai had been caught for painting. He loved to paint. But he painted the wrong things. Freedom of expression was contained, it did not exist anymore. It was contained much like how a hedge is trimmed into different shapes, not allowed to grow as it pleases naturally. He drew portraits that besmirched Stalin, sometimes drawing him in a clown's attire. It was dangerous. Now he had been caught. A horrible feeling erupted in the pit of my stomach. He was only the first. This was one of the many signs. Who would be the next one from our group?_

_"It's not only because of the paintings," whispered Shikamaru faintly, so that only I could hear. "He's the first. We're all immigrants. Japanese ones on top of that." Like the stubborn seventeen year old that I was, I refused to understand him. _

_"What do you mean?" I asked. Shikamaru sighed. _

_"It is undeniably true that the Japanese are against the Americans. We also know that Stalin is against the Americans. So shouldn't he excuse us?" replied Shikamaru. Sadly, no. _

_"My father is in the government… We know that America and USSR has united against Germany. Doesn't that make us the enemy?"_

_"Japan and Germany are allies. If USA and USSR become allies, then the Japanese are doomed," he stated matter of factly. _

_"Sai is the first. Any one of us could be next," I said softly, while staring at Shikamaru. _

_We didn't Sai after that fateful day. They had lists. Two weeks later we were taken._

Was he still alive? We still were.

* * *

It had been three days since that terrifying day. Sometimes I would wake up screaming at night due to the nightmares I had about the women being raped. Their screams echoed through my head over and over again. I knew that Shikamaru could easily see through my facade of being okay. He knew something happened in the building. I still refused to tell him.

Every time I woke up from the plaguing nightmares, I saw Shikamaru watching me. He was always right beside me. On rare occasions he would hold my hand as Yoshino sung to me. I found solace in his grip or embrace.

On the third day I woke up screaming, I told Yoshino I wanted to go home. "Keep thinking about your beautiful house and school. Think about your memories. Keep them alive in your heart," she replied. I know I was selfish for being such an immature child.

I thought about the things I could've done to the guard that touched me. I could have punched him, kicked him, hit him. Gaara and Kankurou would hug me and tell me to calm down. I clung to Yoshino. The nightmares were terrible. Shikamaru said nothing. I thought that I had seen the worse, naked women being abused. I was wrong. There was much worse ahead in the future.

* * *

On the fourth day after that horrendous day, a guard noticed that Emma chanted. Emma had lost all sense of rationality. She always had a glassy look in her eye and chanted as if she was praying. She would wail and pull at her hair. Her piercing scream would sometimes shock me out of my reverie. We were all worried about her safety. It was strange to see that Kankurou stood by her at all times, muttering soothing things to calm her. Was it love? No. It was simply affection. A few of us had developed protective feelings of other prisoners. It kept us human.

It was supposed to be Emma's turn to get down today. She stood at the edge of the car and rocked back and forth. Kankurou urged her to get off the train. It was too late. Emma stood up and sat down three times. Consequently, she started pulling her hair and staring at the NKVD officer that was telling her to "Davai!"

"Let her be. She's grieving," shouted Kankurou to the NKVD officer. The rest of us watched in silence. What could we do? Emma had lost all sense of rationality. Kankurou was clinging on for nothing. Nothing at all.

Emma started screaming. She let out a blood curling yell and started hissing. "Monster! Monster! Help! Help me!" she sounded absolutely mad. She had gone mad. Kankurou tried to quiet her down. "Emma… Come on. Shush… Shush," he tried hopefully. Yoshino covered Gaara's eyes. Emma momentarily kept quiet and we all breathed a sigh of relief. Not for long, a few seconds later, she erupted again.

"The flames! They burn! It's so hot!" she pointed in the direction of the officer, "Spare me! The fire is so hot!" she let out an agonizing yell after that.

The officer pulled Emma down from the car. She sat down and stood up then repeated the whole process over and over again, as if her brain had lost all control. The guard came closer to her and we all watched with bated breaths. We feared for her life. She looked up at the officer, her blue irises without its color and her greasy, dirt laden face. She looked so tired, so frail. Once more she said, "The flames. They are so hot." The officer didn't even blink at that.

The officer clicked his rifle and shot Emma straight through her head. I gasped as thick crimson red blood pooled around her. Her limp body was tossed aside like a piece of garment. It was that easy for the officers to kill.

Kankurou let out a sob and tears pooled down his face. Gaara cowered behind Yoshino. I was traumatized.

"Temari," said Shikamaru.

I looked at him, dazed.

"Don't look," he said.

I opened my mouth to reply but nothing came out. Shikamaru pulled me into his embrace once again, his warmth engulfing me. This time, Gaara and Kankurou also joined in, like a group hug. I began to cry. Yoshino sat near the edge of the car, her face buried in her hands. Shikamaru pulled away from us and sat down beside her and pulled her to his chest.

The engine sounded and the train rolled away. Emma's body grew further and further away. She lay in the dirt, murdered in cold blood by the NKVD. How many murders did they commit on a daily basis? Did it affect their humility and compassion? Or did they just not care? Kilometers away, Emma's baby's body lay rotting in the dirt. Would their family know what happened to them? Would anyone ever know what was happening to us? Or were all going to be murdered before anything could be done?

* * *

Emma had said strange things. What did she see in her hallucinations? Flames that burnt the remains of her soul away, that ate away at her tiny semblance to humanity. She saw monsters. Did she officers in her hallucinations? I think she saw hell. If she saw hell then was that where she was right now? Wouldn't she end up in heaven? But in a time such as this, how could I believe in heaven and God? Wouldn't God prevent this from happening? Where was he when I needed him the most? I was never pious, but I believed in God. Now, I was skeptical of the existence of the certain, never changing God who was supposed to be our protector.


End file.
